Green Bean, Feta, & Mint Salad

I will continue to focus on "spring" recipes due to the complete absence of any vestige of summer weather in Vancouver (it's July already, come on sun!). Someone made reference to the month of "Junuary" as in it's still raining 90% of the time and it's nowhere near warm enough to break out the shorts yet.

Anyways, came across this recipe on smitten kitchen and I am completely besotted with it! An absolute wonder of a spring recipe (or summer if you happen to have that season where you live) with a tantalizing combination of differently colored, crunchy vegetables and a Mexican inspired dressing. Perfect for lunch, dinner and everything in between.

Green Bean, Feta, & Mint Salad1/2 lb green beans
1 c. thinly sliced radishes
1/2 - 1 c. sliced & quartered cucumbers
1/2 - 1 c. thinly sliced carrots
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled or cubed goat feta (or more!)
2-3 green onions, thinly sliced
1/3 c sunflower seeds, salted or unsalted
4-6 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon coarse or Kosher salt (more to taste)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/8-1/4 tsp sumac (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 to 4 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh mint leaves

1. Wash and chop the green beans into 1-2" long pieces. Briefly saute over medium heat (2-4minutes) with a touch of olive oil until they have brightened but are still slightly on the crunchy side. Set aside to cool.
2. Mix the rest of the vegetables, feta, green onions, sunflower seeds and mint in a medium bowl.
3. Whisk lime juice, olive oil, salt, and spices in a small bowl.
4. Add green beans to the rest of the salad and pour dressing over vegetables, tossing to coat. Adjust with more salt, pepper, cumin, chile powder, or lime juice as needed. (As with most cold salads that are non lettuce based, it only gets better after sitting in the fridge for a while).